General Advice

1) Hostelworld have drawn together a pretty comprehensive list of tips for solo travellers that might be especially helpful for any first timers. Short and snappy, these 20 piece of advice won’t take long to read but will give you a great place for anyone considering first time travel to start.

2) It is best to see mistakes as learning opportunities and when you’re travelling the same applies. However, it is obviously important to remain safe while doing so. This article from Independenttraveller provides a list of 15 mistakes to avoid that will help you make the most of your trip and stay safe. The advice seems written from experience and from not running out of cash to not getting too drunk, each tip is worth keeping in mind.

3) Know you want to travel solo but don’t know where? Check out this article from Roughguides to give you some ideas. This is a lovely and eclectic mix of suggested destinations that will take you all around the world.

4) Okay, so strictly speaking this article is about how to stay safe if you’re a female solo traveller. However, so much of the advice seems relevant to anyone that I thought I’d pop it here too. This article is jam packed with great tips for safe travels while you’re away by yourself.

5) This article from theplantD.com was written to debunk some of the myths of solo travel. If you’re concerned about going it alone for whatever reason, read this and you’ll go a long way to moving closer to your trip. From drinking the local water to trusting the people you meet, this piece challenges popular myths that often keep people one step away from travelling. Check it out.

The Good

1) This article from AdventurousKate goes through five less obvious advantages to solo travel in what is a funny read that makes some very true points (number 5 is likely to surprise you...and put a glint in your eye).

2) Whether it is having more time to do what you really want, feeling less stressed out, or immersing yourself in the experience, Insightguides have put together a list of what they consider the 16 top benefits to solo travel. I reckon a lot of their suggestions stretch to general travel benefits too, but nevertheless it is well worth a read to figure out if solo travel is for you.

3) Roughguides’ top 10 things you learn when you travel solo is essentially an awesome list of benefits to going it alone. Top 10 lists often seem a little generic but these guys have done a great job of keeping it interesting here, with points such as becoming more creative when you’re lonely to learning to appreciate the important people in your life. Read this article for some benefits of solo travel that run deep and will make you think.

4) I love this piece. Short and sweet, the author has compiled a list of what in her opinion are the good and the bad parts of solo travel, with little comments from her personal experiences along the way. Read and enjoy.

The Bad (...and how to make it better)

1) Travelling can be hard. Travelling solo can be even harder. This article from dangerous-business.com does a pretty good job at drawing together some of the worst parts of it. From ‘table for one’ to ‘the forced selfie’, the author sums up the trials of solo travel in an easy to read article that will give an idea of some of less enjoyable things to expect from being away by yourself, along with a nice ‘how to make it easier’ section of each point, giving tips on how to help.

2) This is an awesome list from solo traveller world. It is a pretty comprehensive list of some of the hardest parts of solo travel, drawn together from a forum post where readers gave their ideas of this subject. This is well worth a read.

3) I put this piece in ‘the good’ section too, but it only felt right to include it here as well- after all, the title is about the best and worst parts of solo travel. I’ll emphasise again how much I enjoyed this piece. Simple yet effective, you won’t be disappointed.

4) Slightly different to the others, here’s a link to an ongoing forum on tripadvisor on the hard parts of travelling alone. Worth looking through if you’re trying to prepare yourself for some of the more difficult parts of your future trip.

Female Solo-ers

1) Herpackinglist pretty much have a great article or everything travel related, so it is worth checking out regardless of your travel plans. Here’s a link to the site dedicated to articles on solo female travel, where someone who has been and done it in a particular country tells their story. Articles are divided into set questions that cover topics like favourite experiences, challenges, luggage and advice. Great place to start for budding solo female travellers.

2) Kristin Addis does an amazing column for NomadicMatt’s website on different topics related to solo female travel. There is a tonne of great stuff in there for your reading pleasure but here's a link to an article about keeping safe. Drawing on her absolute mass of experience, she walks you through some great ways to stay safe while your away by yourself.

3) This article from a young solo female traveller about how it made her stronger may be just the read you need if you’re a budding female traveller concerned about their first trip. To be honest, a lot of what’s written applies to guys too, so anyone could get a lot from a visit to the article. Drawing on personal experience, the author makes some great points and gives some even better advice for how to be safe and make the most of your solo travel adventures.

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